1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is using a set of expected event-based occurrences to detect the non-occurrence of an expected event. More specifically, the field of the invention is item (a/k/a “parcel” or “package”) delivery by a parcel delivery service (a/k/a “carrier”) and systems and methods of tracking one or more items through a package delivery system as they are shipped from a shipper to an intended recipient by the parcel delivery service.
2. Description of Related Art
Package tracking is an integral part of a package delivery service that allows a customer to track goods that they have shipped or that have been shipped to them. The advent of the Internet has allowed commercial carriers such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. to make it possible for customers to track their shipments online. Some businesses have taken package tracking a step further and integrated the package tracking functionality into their internal business systems. Thus, businesses have the ability to trigger business events based upon shipment status information received from a commercial carrier.
The carriers track all items coming into their possession in order to provide information to shippers, intended recipients and/or authorized third-parties as well as for internal use. One way of performing this task is placing machine-readable indicia or devices such as, for example, barcoded labels or radio frequency identification (“RFID”) devices on items to be shipped. The carrier scans or reads the machine-readable devices on the packages at pickup and during the delivery cycle (e.g., origin center, intermediate hubs, destination center, delivery, etc.). After each scan, the information is uploaded to servers or mainframe computers that are affiliated with the carrier such that the information is available to respond to inquiries about the status of shipments. This is sometimes known as providing “visibility” for the items. Note that the terms package, parcel and item are used interchangeably herein to describe a tangible article that is shipped from a shipper to an intended recipient by use of a parcel delivery service.
For the most part, package tracking services known in the art operate on a package by package basis and require that a customer query a carrier database with a package tracking number associated with the package to be tracked. As a result, it is difficult for a company with a heavy volume of inbound or outbound shipping to track all its packages currently in transit. Companies are often stuck with the burdensome task of individually tracking large numbers of packages or risk being surprised when an abnormally large number of packages arrive at its loading docks with insufficient help to dispatch it. Though the challenge of individual inquiries for each package has been addressed in part by solutions as provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/265,079, “Inbound and Outbound Shipment Notification Methods and Systems” by Franz et al. and published on May 22, 2003 as Publication Number US 2003/0097287 A1, which is hereby fully incorporated herein and made a part hereof, the tracking information provided is purely event-driven. Event-based reports available on a carrier's website may not provide sufficient information as to whether the shipments are on-time, potentially delayed or will be delayed from their expected arrival date. Generally, all that is visible on such a website is information about where the package has been and is currently located, but not if it is on the intended route to the customer or if it has been diverted (either intentionally or unintentionally).
In some instances, shippers (a/k/a “clients”) may use a client data capture system or automated shipping system in which origin manifest detail is collected, validated, and made available to the delivery service as needed. The origin manifest data may be collected from customers who use automated shipping systems, such as, for example, the UPS OnLine family of products, as well as customers billed through automated methods or those that process parcels through automated means. The origin manifest information is used by the delivery service to facilitate and automate the sorting and loading of packages, and to generate the customer's (generally, the shipper) bill. Origin manifest information may include shipper's name and address, recipient's name and address, class of service, size and weight of the package, shipping cost, etc. Generally, such origin manifest information is uploaded (transmitted) to the delivery service at the time of pickup to facilitate tracking of items detailed on the manifest.
Currently, the process of tracking a package within the operations of a package delivery service from pickup to delivery can be referred to as full visibility tracking. Full visibility tracking is an event-driven method of tracking as the item being tracked goes through a series of physical, keyed, derived and logical scans or reads that identify the item and its location. Tracking begins with an upload of package/parcel level detail (PLD) information or when the machine-readable indicia or device associated with a package is scanned or read at its point of origin, which usually occurs in the origin hub. If a package is scanned or read incorrectly, the system will not “see” it, and it will become invisible. For example, if a loader begins his or her shift and accidentally scans the wrong position bar code or enters incorrect position information for that load, every package scanned by this person will not be tracked accurately by the system. Therefore, there is no visibility. Even though every package is scanned and linked to the unit load device (“ULD”), the tracking system will not supply proper visibility for any of the packages scanned by that loader because the initial load key (e.g., barcode) was scanned was incorrectly. Examples of ULDs are smalls bags, air containers, trailers, airplanes, etc.
Generally, a server-based or mainframe global information repository receives and stores package and ULD level information from diverse package-handling systems within the parcel delivery service's operations such as, for example: local internal package level detail systems or scanning control systems, load handling systems, air hub control systems, trailer forecasting control systems, operations systems, hub and feeder control systems, data acquisition device control systems, legacy system interfaces, etc. The package information includes origin, intermediate, destination and exception scans or reads. The local internal package level detail systems provides the global repository with package scans and ULD linking events. The load handling systems, air hub control systems, trailer forecasting control systems, operations systems, and hub and feeder control systems provide the global repository with ULD events and ULD exceptions. The data acquisition device control systems and the legacy interfaces supply package scans to the global repository. Therefore, package tracking information available to customers may include, for example, one or more of pickup date, origin scans, intermediate (hub) scans, destination scans, delivery scans, delivery date and time, exceptions, shipper number, package tracking number, customer reference numbers, commercial/residential designation, clarified signature, signature image, number of packages in shipment, etc.
Information about packages, including tracking and delivery information, is generally stored by the package delivery service for a designated period of time depending on the type of information. For instance, package delivery information may be stored for 18 months, exception information may be stored nine months, customer reference numbers may be stored for six months, and interim scans and destination scans may be stored for three months. The storage of tracking and delivery information allows the tracking of a particular item to be re-traced as well as providing a database to determine shipping routes that are most efficient in terms of speed and costs.
Currently, package tracking systems are event-based, meaning that they are based on physical, keyed, derived and logical scan or read events. The predictability and consistency of such event-based tracking systems and package distribution systems allow for enhanced visibility. An unsatisfied need therefore exists in the industry for enhanced package tracking methods and systems that overcomes challenges associated with providing only event-based tracking information.